Our Staff

Natalie Balyasny, Health & Wellness Coach

Natalie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Southern California. She received her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she was trained in more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. Drawing on this knowledge, she will help you create a completely personalized “roadmap to health” that suits your unique body, lifestyle, preferences, and goals. A health coach is a wellness guide and supportive mentor. Together, you’ll work to achieve your goals in areas such as achieving optimal weight, food cravings, sleep and energy. Through working with Natalie, you will develop a deeper understanding of the foods and lifestyle choices that work best for you and implement lasting changes that will improve your energy, balance and health.

Cheryl Kramer L.Ac., CMT

Cheryl has a Master’s Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Yo San University Santa Monica. She has been practicing in Sherman Oaks for 7 years and currently is building a following in the Calabasas office.

Cheryl approaches each patient as an individual, taking the time to develop a treatment plan that is specific to his or her needs. Patients are treated for chronic or acute issues ranging from pain, emotional imbalance, stress, digestive problems, women’s health concerns including fertility and peri-post menopausal imbalances, seasonal allergies and weight concerns. Her treatment techniques include acupuncture, bodywork, nutritional counseling and herbal supplements which help to restore and strengthen the patient, increasing the body’s self-healing ability and bringing the patient back to a state of harmony.

Along with being passionate about Chinese Medicine and nutrition, Cheryl enjoys trail running, hiking, yoga, healthy cooking and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Sheri Lee Robinson, CMT

Specializing in deep tissue, Swedish, prenatal, sports and lymphatic drainage massage. Practicing since 2010, Sheri has an intuitive, healing touch that can guide even the most anxious and stressed client into a restorative healing state. She listens and responds to the specific needs of each individual patient and works very closely with Ms. Kokin and the rest of the crew to ensure that the patient receives exactly what they need from their massage sessions. Feeling run down? Try the lymphatic massage to boost your immune system and flush out toxins. Sore from a tough work out? A brisk Sports Massage will leave you feeling invigorated and ready for the gym again. Stressed out? Anxiety? A soothing Swedish Massage applied with firm pressure will help to bring on a deep, relaxed, healing state in your body and mind. Combination massages are also available and can be customized to meet your specific needs.

Kineret Sherman

Kineret studied Thai Massage in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2002. The first time she experienced a Thai massage she was surprised and elated by the sensations she was experiencing associated with energy lines. Kineret started practicing in 2007 after taking another course with Deon De Wet, and has been practicing at the Kokin Healing Center since August of 2009. She's also continued her studies with Deon. She also holds an M.A. in spiritual psychology, was a volunteer chaplain, studied guided imagery, reiki, holoenergetic healing and light therapy.

Petur Thordarson

Petur is an Icelandic native raised in Northern California. A professional Massage Therapist since July 2010, Petur holds a Graduate with Honors Certificate from the National Holistic Institute's 720 hour Massage Therapy program. He specializes in rehabilitation and chronic pain management, primarily combining elements of Swedish, Deep Tissue, and Positional Release. His practice is rooted in the philosophy that the body's capacity to heal itself can be dramatically enhanced by the thoughtful application of care and pressure. He carries certification for providing massage in hospice care, has extensive experience treating shoulder, hip, and low back pain, and is also trained in prenatal, Shiatsu, reflexology, and sports massage.

Monica Varah, MA, CMT, E-RYT

Monica has been practicing yoga most of her life, teaching yoga for 11 years, and seeing massage clients for nine years. She originally learned Thai Yoga from Saul David Raye in Santa Monica as a way of giving better adjustments to the postures of her yoga students in class. She then fell in love with it as a means of healing and as an art form. She later went to school in Thousand Oaks to learn table massage. Her bodywork incorporates the styles of Thai, Lomilomi, Reiki and Shamanic Healing.

Ava Schmidt

Ava strongly believes in massage as a viable modality for enhancing overall health and well-being. As a Massage Therapist, she has made it her mission to share the significant impact massage has had on her own wellness from an early age. Massage was an ever-present facet of her childhood as means of comfort and care as well as for healing aches and pains. She seeks to have a similar impact on her clients, through listening to their needs, treating the acute and seeking the root of the imbalance, while also assisting in healing the whole person.

Ava’s practice is tailored to the individual with it’s primary focus on therapeutic and preventative care. Using a variety of techniques in Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Therapy as well as Deep-Tissue, Thai, Swedish, and Sports Massage, she helps bring balance and awareness to their bodies on and off the table. Ava is a proponent of massage whether clients seek to correct bad posture, treat chronic issues or new injuries, or simply to relax and unwind physically and emotionally.

It is the uniqueness of each experience that continues to inspire Ava to expand her practice. Dedicated to her work and community, she volunteers on the massage team for the AIDS Life Cycle. Ava graduated from the National Holistic Institute in 2011 and brings a commitment to her clients through bodywork to give people a safe and nurturing space to heal and learn the language of their own bodies.

Heather Olson

Heather is a credentialed elementary school teacher and mom. She graduated as a Massage Therapist from A2Z Healing and studied Sports Massage at Kali Institute. Sore back? Tight hamstrings? Painful shins? Chronic headaches? Reduced range of motion? As an avid runner, bicyclist, hiker and yogi, Heather understands the importance of preventative and restorative Therapeutic Massage. Having often been on the patient side of the table, she has an empathetic perspective of the healing process. With a deep passion and patience for healing through massage, she believes we are a team to guide your body to relax and heal. As a Therapeutic Bodyworker, she specializes in custom designed restorative massage incorporating Relaxing Swedish, Sports Therapy and Deep Tissue. She develops a unique therapeutic session tailored to your needs to increase blood flow, range of motion and relaxation.

Where Do I Start?

Chinese Medicine involves a complete program of acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage therapy, nutritional counseling, and lifestyle modification. More About Getting Started

Our Approach

We believe in a complementary approach to treatment and work closely with the patient's physicians to best fulfill the patient's needs. More About Our Approach

Our Services

We believe in treating each patient with a comprehensive strategy involving acupuncture, nutrition, and Chinese herbal medicine. More About Our Services